On Campus: Flannery makes the right move in the Nick of time

Sunday

Apr 6, 2014 at 8:52 PMApr 8, 2014 at 11:34 AM

By Craig GilvargDaily News staff

He began wrestling in the eighth grade, building a career that had spanned several hundred matches, saw him inducted into the Massachusetts Wrestling Hall of Fame, and took him to a Division I college program.But in the days following his junior season at Cleveland State University, Nick Flannery was prepared to walk away from it all.Though the Framingham native had performed well in his third season with the Vikings, he took a step back, winning just 13 matches after taking 20 bouts the year before. His season ended in disappointing fashion, as Flannery fell in all three of his matches at the Eastern Wrestling League championships. His relationship with Cleveland State coach Ben Stehura, contentious throughout his first two years, had reached a boiling point. His frustration became untenable, and after a spring practice before the summer break, Flannery decided he had had enough.On the precipice of his final season, he left the team."I was upset about the way I performed at the end of the year and it just pushed me over the edge," said Flannery. "I just didn't get better, I feel like. (Stehura) didn't make me better as a wrestler. I felt like I wrestled at the same level since high school all the way until my junior year."For a time, Flannery was at peace with his decision. He would enjoy his senior year, finish up his degree, begin focusing on the future.But his family didn't share any such enthusiasm. Despite his recent disillusion, they knew how much wrestling had meant to him. His grandmother, who lives about 20 minutes away from the University of Buffalo, encouraged him to explore a transfer. Not one to mince words, she told Flannery exactly how she felt about his plan to sit out the season."She said that I'd regret it," said Flannery.Buffalo was a program in flux. The Bulls had gone just 1-11 the previous season, and were thirsty for talent and leadership. They were also under new direction.John Stutzman had spent the previous eight seasons building an EWL power at Bloomsburg University. He compiled a 97-56-1 record with the Huskies, and won Coach of the Year honors in the conference in 2007, 2010 and 2013. He jumped at the opportunity to return to Buffalo, his alma mater, where he was the program's all-time leader in career wins at the time of his graduation in 1998.He had also spent the last three years coaching against Flannery. When he received notice the three-year veteran was interested in a transfer, he saw an opportunity that could be beneficial for both parties. Flannery needed a fresh start. Stutzman needed wrestlers who would buy into his philosophy and help establish his program."He had an attitude about him which I really liked," said Stutzman. "It was a tough transition for him. He left a lot of friends behind at Cleveland State. But I think for him to be successful he needed a different kind of environment, and I think we provided that as a staff."But the transfer wasn't as simple as filing paperwork. Flannery had walked away from the sport once already. If Stutzman was going to take him on, he needed to be convinced of Flannery's commitment."He told me I had to wrestle out here all summer to prove that I wanted to actually wrestle," said Flannery. "So that's what I did. If I was going to transfer schools I was going to be all in. I thought, ‘Might as well take it as far as I can for my last year.'"Logic suggests the adjustment would be difficult. Flannery had left his friends, a community he knew, for a new school in a new state, to join a team that may have been skeptical of a late edition to its roster.But the transition was seamless. He was quick to win over his teammates."I just went to work," he said.Still, it was clear to Stutzman that Flannery wasn't yet a fully developed product."He's very competitive," said Stutzman. "But when he first got on campus with us he was kind of green, and what I mean by that is I'm not sure he was taught a lot of the basics, so we really had to slow him down and get his basics in line and teach him our system. When you wrestle three years with someone else, it's a different philosophy."And so Flannery dove in, learning new techniques, changing his style, wrestling more with his hands and spending less time working the outside. And while Buffalo struggled again, going 3-17, Flannery had his best season yet. Wrestling at 141 instead of his previous weight class of 133, he went 22-18, placed fifth at the Mid-American Conference tournament, and for the first time in his career qualified for the NCAA championships.He lost both of his matches at the national tournament, falling to Virginia Tech's Devin Carter via technical fall before dropping a decision to Iowa's Josh Dziewa. Though it wasn't the result he was hoping for, he walked off the mat that day on his own terms, a national qualifier, with his head held high."He wrestled every top-20 guy in the country this year," said Stutzman. "He wrestled hard and he had a hard road to get there. He had some good results and some bad results, but when he leaves Buffalo he's going to know we cared about him, and he had a good experience."Flannery will return to Buffalo in the fall to complete his degree in sociology. After that he'll likely pursue a career in law enforcement, while trying to find a way to stay involved in wrestling, maybe by helping out Framingham coach Jon Kanavich at his old stomping grounds. Or there could be an opportunity to stick around Buffalo, helping the program take its next step forward.Either way, he's already left his mark with the Bulls. Should he leave after the fall, his impact will be felt for years to come."We really hitched our wagons to him all year," said Stutzman. "He was the guy that when you're rebuilding a program like we're doing, Nick was the guy that kept me sane. Just by his personality in the office each day just joking and laughing around, just everything about him. He was so positive about everything. Even though he was adjusting he was always positive. You knew you had to coach hard for a guy like that."I think he did an unbelievable job wrestling for us. He's the reason the University of Buffalo is going to be successful for the next twenty years. He helped change our culture."

NotesStonehill College senior guard Mary Louise Dixon of Wellesley was named an honorable mention selection for the WBCA Division II Coaches' women's basketball All-America team. …Wheaton College freshman first baseman Caroline Fairbanks of Milford was selected as the NEWMAC Softball Player of the Week. …Union College freshman Natalie Leone of Ashland was selected to the Liberty League women's basketball All-Rookie team.Craig Gilvarg can be reached at 508-626-4405 or cgilvarg@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @CraigGilvarg.

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